Packers and bridge plugs typically have one or more seal rings that are flanked by slips. Slips are tapered elements that ride up cones that are brought closer together in opposite directions toward the sealing element. As a result the sealing element is compressed and the slips are forced out radially as well to get a penetrating bite into the surrounding tubular. This penetration is accomplished with serrations or wickers on the face of the slips that contacts the tubular. In some applications hardened carbide inserts are teamed up with wickers to enhance the grip of the packer or the bridge plug.
While the wickers and inserts increase the support for the packer or the bridge plug against differential pressures, they also can cause localized stresses in the surrounding tubular that over time can cause cracks and even leakage. Any such occurrence would then require a production outage and a very expensive workover to patch the casing, for example. If for any reason the packer or bridge plug has to be drilled out, the penetrating wickers make the milling more difficult not only from the perspective that they are penetrating the casing wall but also from the perspective that they made be fabricated or cast from materials that increase the milling time to get the packer or the bridge plug to release.
The trend has been to make slips bite the casing and in some instances to produce the slip from a cast material that is fairly brittle as an aid in breaking up the slips to get the packer or bridge plug to release when milling. The present invention seeks to go in a new direction by using a bonded connection of the slip to the surrounding tubular. In the preferred embodiment the slip preferably has an acrylic adhesive applied to the contact face with the tubular. A removable cover that comes off at the desired depth in a variety of ways can be incorporated to protect the bonded face before application against the surrounding tubular. Surface roughening of the bonded slip face and of the surrounding tubular can also increase the strength of the bonded grip. The slip materials and for that matter the components of the packer or bridge plug can be non-metallic or composite materials, for example that will also shorten the milling out time. Conventional setting mechanisms can be deployed to extend the slips and trigger the bond that are for example accomplished with string manipulation, wellbore hydrostatic or with pressure in the tubing applied from the surface. Those skilled in the art will more readily appreciate various aspects of the invention from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings while keeping in mind that the full scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims.